The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-11-25

stunning announcement on the ro0mful OF
girls, so she did not see the paleness that
overspread the beautiful face of her inter-
loeutor, and laughed gleefully at the chorus
of EXPLANATIONS that came from the OH
dering girls.
"No! Really? How do you know ?"
GLOW do I know? I should think l
ought to know; heard it,
"Heard it? Ooh! You heard it's
Ben was composedly selecting large
piece of preserved ginger from the jar,
which she combined with sponge cake
with evident satisfaction, and, as her
mouth was full, she merely nodded i'm
pressiyely.
The girls were in. a flutter of impatient
curiosity, but Florence Healey said IN a
low voice:
''Ben, if YOU have by accident heard
what was not intended for your ears, is it
honorable to tell it to any one ?'
THAT isjust what am thinking about"
responded the tricksy sprite, gravely
There was howl of disappointment from
ten of the "Mystic Twelve" 'It would
not be quite extraordinarily.
Hope began to glimmer again.
''But, you see, We are bound by our
oath to repose perfect confidence in each
other, are we not ?"
She looked inquiringly around.
''Of course we are. Solemnly bound
Indeed we are! Yesr' came an eager rush
of voices.
"Still," mused the young lady, choosing
chocolate cream with scrupulous care,
that may hold only upon matters per-
tanning strictly to ourselves"
"Ben, you are real mean, if you don't
tell US, after all thisn protested Kitty
Glazier.
Florence Healey said nothing, perhaps
because she saw that Ben fully intended
arousing the curiosity of her friends, and
possibly because she herself had an inter-
est in the disclosure which overpowered
her idea of honorable reticence upon an
others secret.
"But," said Ben, as a rebuttal, "this is
something which may seriously affect any
one of us''--the excitement grew intense
-'tso | shall waive my scruples and tell
it--but under perfect secrecy, mindl
Well, = began Ben, hosting herself with
some difficulty upon the curved top of a
large trunk, you see, when we came up
from prayers | happened to think that
little Sneaky Palmer would go into the
fourth recitation room to get her music.
So, as had for some time been intend
ing to punish her for going back on me
to Professor Charles, in the philosophy
class, one day. just slid in there in the
dark and crept in behind 'Skully,' who
hangs SO sweetly by her skull in the small
cupboard"
"Oh, Benz How could yon? l could
not do it if it was to save my life" shud-
dered Fan Kendall.
That's just it." said Ben, bending a
calm eye upon her; ''nether could Sneaky
Palmer. She is afraid of her own shadow
So meant to rattle the bones of the late
French lady, whose usefulness continues
after death as an adjunct to the physiology
class, just click her toes together, you
know, and moan. How Sneaky Palmer
would have rum Ben beamed in enjoy
ment of what might have been, but sud-
denly became grave again. ''Instead Of
which, when | heard some one come in,
and was just about to give dismal groan,
l fortunately peeped through the curtains
and saw Miss Brown. She came in and
sat down, resting her face on her hands
Then | thought l would come out and
confess my base intention, for Lou never
scolds, you know"
"Dear Loul She is more like . sister
than teacher"
''Lou is only twenty-five murmured
Florence Healey, from her place in the
shadow of the bureau.
"Well, as | said, | was just coming
out, when in walked Professor Charles
And girls, he did look too handsome fol
any tuiH5. IIt HSfSl iOOheu 81 CiOS@AV III
this world as he did tonight. His face
was flushed, and-well, here was pretty
how -de-do could not know that theil
meeting was anything but an accident, and
while | hesitated to place myself in such
an awful light as to crawl out and explain
things, he began to speak"
"'I understood you, Lou he said,
standing before her, that you wished to
see me here
3" Yes, she answered, in low voice;
and | saw, as she looked up at him, her
lips trembled. / wished to talk with
you, Charles, before we go away for the
vacation, about our relations to each
other.
''There was, in a most painful posi-
ton, in that narrow box, peeping through
the ribs of the French lady, not daring to
breathe for fear of rafting her bones and
being discovered; but | wasn't bit tired
then. Professor Charles rested his hand
on the back of bench and looked down at
her quietly.
We'll, Lou, he said, what have You
to say to me about our relations TO each
other? | have felt for some time that you
did not love me--that our engagement
was becoming irksome to you; but
deemed it hest, for the sake of your ex-
ample to these girls over whom you have